Card-index.



D. P, CARVER. l GARDINDEL A APPLIOATIQN FILED JULY 42, 1912. l

199531109, Patented Feb.11,`1913.

M Davd F. Corf/erf Arromvfrs tiran eras raras rie.

DAVID FREDERICK CARVER, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

CARD-INDEX.

To all fr0/0mA 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID F. CARVER,

vention is to provide the cards with means` whereby they will be caused to present themselves in single succession with adjacent cards so spaced apart at the upper edges that at least the heading of each card can be clearly read in succession. My invention enables the operator to readily control the cards so as to cause them to be thrown forwardly in single succession toward the operator, each moving forwardly, separate and distinct from the one in front and the one behind it.

Index cards oli the ordinary form, as is well known, move forwardly in response to the manipulation of the operator, variously spaced, and not infrequently moving two or three togetherl as if a unit, so that. thel operator is required to exercise care and to deliberately separate the cards with the fingernail, causing annoyance and loss of time rlhe action of the ordinary cards, as referred to, in clinging together and frequently moving two or more in close relation, may be due to any one of several causes, of which perhaps one oit' the most important is the forming of a partial vacuum between the cards. Cards provided with my invention will lie in the box in-the usual way, but instead of contacting with one another throughout their whole surfaces, or substantially the whole surface, as ordinarily, they will rest in contact with one another along the top edges only, o-r possibly for a portion ot' the back and front surfaces near the top edges. The cards are so formed or provided with such disparting or spacing means that they will be separated `trom one another at the bottom, and for substantially the whole arca, except at the upper ends.

It is a design ol my invention to so torni the disparting and spacing .means as to give the operator control ol the amount and sequences, with a tew cards or with nuurv;

extent of the spacing between the cards as they turn over vtm'vvardly at the top.l the control beimr effected initially through the Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. l1, 15H3.,

Appiication'led July 2, 1.912. Serial No. 707,165.

medium of the front card, and then through the` collected cards at the front as the examination of the cards progresses, the front 'card or cards acting as a lever serving to exert rearward pressure against the cards at the lower ends, the spacing device atthe bottom reacting against the pressure exerted by the operator,and the resultant ot' the forces serving to cause the successive cards to rise at the top and be rocked Jr'orwardly, describing an arc oit' a circle at the top, the movement of the cards being such that they will move forwardly with their upper edges quite distinctly spaced apart, but may be maintained in fan-like form. The forwardmovement of thecards is under the complete control ot the operator, so that even after a card has moved forwardly beyond the vertical line, it can nevertheless be held under control until the operator deliberately grasps the card and throws it against those previously examined and collected at the front of the card receptacle.

It is also a design'of my invention to cause the cards to rise upward at the top, and in eliect, to slide vertically, relatively to the card immediately behind, thereby preventing or overcmning the ordinary forces et adhesion, or attraction, or vacuum that tend to cause a clinging action between the cards.

lt is a further design of my invention to provide a disparting means ot' such a character as to exert a force on the cards near Vthe bcttom, in a direction tending to turn a card over` with its lower edge as a center.

It is also a design of my invention to provide a spacing means that will be suliiciently protuberant beyond the surface ot the card to etliect the desiredV spacing, but will occupy a minimum space when the cards are compacted.

ltis a lurther design of my invention to provide a disparting means whereby cards `for reference or index purposes, can be readily and quick v examined and selected, so that the ones not wanted can be passed readily, and the one desired, can be ouiehl found. tion to provino a means of quick and ready reference to index` or reference cards, one that can be used with the cards in v: 'ions and to provide a card index, from which cards can be taken at will, or inverted as of afcard box or receptacle with my improved index cards! assembled therein.; Fig.

2 is a similar viewshowing the position of the cards as the examination thereof by the operator progresses: Fig.' 3 is a perspective view of one form of the card attachment .embodying my invention; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the device illustrated in Fig. 3, and showing a portion or' the card to which it is applied; Fig. 5is a perspective view of an attachment of some what different form; Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section of the device illustrated in Fig. 5 and showing a portion of the card to .which it is applied; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of still another form of the attachment embodying my invention; and Fig. 8 is a transverse lvertical section of the form of device illustrated in Fig. 7, and showing a portion of the card to which the device is applied.

In giving a practical embodiment' to my invention, any suitable receptacle 10 is einpioyed and provided with followers or partition blocks 11, 12, there being a single 40 block employed for'a small number of cards and a plurality of such blocks when a large number of cards are employed and arranged to divide the same into groups.

Each block may have at the bottom a foot or guide plate 13, as is usual, and provided with a depending member as 141, to engage in one or the other of a series of recesses 15 in the customary manner in adjusting the position of the block or blocks in the box or case 10.

Each index card 16 is given such a form, or is provided with such attachment as will produce a protuberance at the lower edge Aof the card,.at the bottom thereof. it is desirable in practice,l that the protuberant portion present a broad surface in order to more or less resist the tendency of the cards to disposethemselves diagonally in the box or receptacle. The protuberant element is indicated generally in Figs. 1 and 2 by the numeral 17. In the form shown in Fig. 3, the piece of paper 18 is curved vertically or`the greater portion of its height, from the bottom edge, or near the bottom edge.

'upw'ardly, its convex side being presented mesi-ice at the outside, and the paper is aiiixed to the card 16 by any suitable means. Preferably adhesive material is applied to the strip of paper, as at 19, along the'upper edge, 4said portion being essentially straight 70 or plane, to iirmly adhere lto the face of the card 16.

In order-that the piece of paper or other element or elements made use of to give the rounding protuberant formation may not have a too rigid and fixed set, which would result in the attachment taking up too much room in the card case, and thus to a great extent, limiting the number oiI cards 'in a given space, in practice l provide for mak- 8.0 ing the element or elements resilient; thus the paper strip 18 with a layer of linen as at 20, Fig. 7, applied to the back of the paper strip, is of a character to maintain the desired convertit-y of outer surface 8'5 wanted in the paper, as well as giving i some resiliency.

In order to obtain a permanent and increased resiliency greater than that possi ble with paper, l preferably employ a metallic plate spring, which advantageously is formed of ribbon steel, the spring being inl dicated by the numeral 21 in Figs. 3 and 4:. The spring is curved vertically from the bottom to a Vpoint short of the upper end, and said upper end extends straight and is secured by adhesive material or other means to the inner 'face of the paper strip 18. The adhesive material 19 serves to secure the paper carrying the metallic spring 21 to the 100 rear face of the card 16, the metallic spring being disposed between the said card and the strip 18. By the arrangement shown the resilient paper and the metallic spring are free from each other except at the upper edge, and may readily respond to pressure. The paper presents the necessary area, and moreover, its bottom edge is less likely, when a card is being inserted, to engage an adjacent card andinteri`ere with 110 the ready placing or replacing of the card 1n the group.

lit the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the spring 21t is formed siinilarly to the spring Q1 of" Figs. 3 and. 'i, except that its upper end 115 is in the form of a "l'-head 2l". With this form also, the upper portion of the paper strip 18 is return-bent, as at 18h, and caused to overlie the 'iT-head 2lb, said return-bent portion of the paper being` pasted down, or

otherwisesecured, to hold the spring 21a in place. 'io the exposed face ot' the return portion of the strip 18, adhesive material maybe applied, as at 18C, as a means i'or securing the attachment to the caif'il 16.

ln the fori-n shown in Figs. 7 and 8, l have illustrated the preterred forni of the atlaclnnent having the paper strip 18d`-vpro vided with a facing 2O of linen as mentioned.

With this form also the sY rin(T 21'? is curved 130- and, as in the described forms it is integral at its' upper end with a pair of fiat metallic members 2l, one of said flat members being disposed at each side of the central spring element.. Thus the-metallic attachment is formed of three fingers, of which the central one is curved and those on the outside are Hat, and are all integral w-ith the head 21e, which may be secured to the paper by a separate narrow layer 18e, which is pasted down over the head 21e and provided on its exposed face `with adhesive material, as at l8f.

In connection with cards provided with my attachment I prefer to employ a front card 2Q, which has greater stiffness than the ordinary index usually employed.

TAFrith card indexes as described, the cards normally will lie approximately as shown at the right hand compartment of Fig. l, it being understood that the extent of the botv tom spacing of the cards in the drawings is somewhat exaggerated in the interest of clearness. Comparing the group of cards in the compartment at the right of Fig. 1, with the cards in the compartment at the left of said figure, and observing the line or sweep presented by the upper edges of the group of cards at the left, it will be seenthat those cards at the front of said group have changed their position; the bottom edges of the cards adjacent to the front of the compartment have been shifted rearwardly from the position shown at the rightin said F i to that shown at the left of said figure. To bring this about the frontcard Q2 employed as a lever, which explains the reason for its having a comparative stiffness. The employment of the front card QQ as a lever is only during the examination of the front index cards 16, since it will be obvious that the iii-st few cards 1G at the front, after they have been gathered beneath the finger of the operator, as for instance at the left of Fig. 2, will act as a lever to successively shift the bottoms of the next rearmost cards. The operator in moving' the bottoms of the front cards rearwardly exerts rearward pressure against the remainingl cards at the bottom. In 'shifting the bottom edges of the cards rearwardly, each card so shifted will have an upward sliding movement relatively to the next rearmost card, which will overcome any ordinary tendency of one card to adhere to'another either by reason of a partial vacuum, or from other causes.

Therewill be a limited number of cards between those collected at. front and the bulk of those remaining nnexamini-fd at the rear, the intermediate cards being subjectl to the resultant of the leverage exerted by the operator by means of the front cards and the reaction of the resilient elements on the rearmost cards. The effect is to dispose the intermediate cards in fan-like form increasingly spaced at the top, whereas all other cards are decreasingly spaced toward the top. Inasmuch as the fan-like formation given the cards is not the result of any s 1ddenly applied force, and is not appreciably aected by a card moving forwardly beyond the vertical line, the intermediate cards are under the complete control of the operator and .do not reach a position in succession againstI the front cards until positively moved against the front cards by the finger of the operator.

In explanation of the employment of a plurality of follower or partition blocks li, l2, I Would state that where too great a number of cards are employed in a group, as I have indicated in Fig. 2, the cumulative force exerted by the disparting and spacing elements, generally designated by the numeral 17, may tend to throw the wholel group of rearn'iost cards forwardly as a body, after the examination of the foremost 'cards has progressedl sui'iiciently for the total reactive force of the resilient elements to be effective. 'lhus Fig. 2 purposely includes an excess of lards above the proper number for effective operation of my device, and therefore the few rearmost cards are illustrated as having been rocked forwardly, and are given as an example of the etl'ect that will be produced if a material quantity of cards in excess of the proper number be placed in the compartment, There should not be sutticicnt cards to cause any of the unexan'iined cards at the rear to rock forwardly together.

The making of the protuberance on rounding lines facilitates the vertical sliding of one card relative to another, and makes the reactive force of the resilient elements on the rcarmost cards more effective in rocking the intermediate cards forwardly with their botttun edges as a center, and the point o-f ettective application of the reactive force of the elements on the group of rearmost cards shifts as a diii'erent portion of the rounding surface is presented to the next rearmost card.

The described attachment is applied preferably to the back of the card in order to leave the col'nplete Jront or face of the card available for entries.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: l

l. A spacing and disparting attachment for index cards, comprising a sheet. of small area compared with the arca of index cards, means for .securing said sheet to an index fard, and means for giving resiliency to said sheet. i

2. A disparting attachment for index cards, comprising a plate spring having"a bent portion and an approximately plane end portion, means for securing .said plane portion to an index, and an exterior member of greater area than said spring.

3. lA disparting attachment for index cards,comprising a spring, and an exterior member of greater area than the spring. 4. A disparting attachment for index cards, comprising a spring, and an exterior member of greaterarea than said spring, said exterior member having means for securiing the complete attachment to an index car 5.' A disparting attachment for index cards, comprising'a plate spring, and a sheet of larger area than the spring ailid serving as a carrier forl the spring. l

6. A disparting attachment fdr; `index cards, comprising a metallic plate spring curved longitudinally and having an approximately plane head portion, anda sheet un1ted to the said head ofi-the. spring, the

sheet and sprin being-free from each other except' at the said head of the spring.

7. A disparting attachment for index cards, comprising a spring having a plurality of fingers, one of which has a bent protuberance beyond the plane of .the rcmainder of the fingers, and meansfor atiixing the said spring to an index card.

8. A disparting attachment for index .cardsfcomprisino' a sheet of small area compared to the carc, means for securing proper convex form to said sheet, means for maintaining resiliency to said sheet, and means for securing Said disparting attachment to an index card.

9: Index means, comprising a plurality of .index cards, and a. holder having aA mem- 'ber formlng a backing for the cards, said cards having disparting means thereon near the bottoms of the cards, consisting of reslhent elements, tendmg when placed under compression to react and rock the successive cards vforwardly and serving to maintain a plurality of cards in fan-like form, as4 successive cards are'examined and collected at the front.

l0. Index. means, comprising `a plurality of index'cards, having thereon means for disparting the cards,said disparting means consisting of resilient elements a sufficient distance 'below the horizontal center and of sutlicient power that the cumulative force of a plurality of these said elements under compressive force exerted from the front,

will rock the successively exposed cards to the vertical position and forwardly of the vertical position.

11. In an index means, a series of index Acards and disparting means, consisting of resilient elements disposed between adjacent cards, near the bottom and tending under compression to re-act on the cards to maintain a plurality in fan-like formation.

12. In an index'means, a series of index cards, having disparting means consisting of protuberant elements between adjacent cards throughout the series, near the bottoms thereof, and normally disposing the series of cards spaced apart towardthe bottoni andconverging toward the top, the cards being adapted to be moved into closer relation at the bottom below said disparting means, and into fan-like formation with the cards at upwardly diverging angles to each other under the force of rearward pressureA applied at the bottoms of the front cards of the series below 4the disparting means.

13.In an index means, a series of cards, having dispartingmeans, comprising protuberant elements-carried by the cards at points only thereon adjacent to the lower edges, the surface of the card .from which the element is protuberant being plain and free from prot-uberances, except the mentioned disparting.element.y

14. An index card having a disparting resilient element near the bottom edge, and a member associated with the said element to yield therewith and presenting a broader surface, the said associated member' being held at one edge and free at its opposite edge. I

l5. An index card, carrying thereon near the bottom, a'strip having a -free edge, and a spring beneath said strip.

1G. An index card, carrying disparting means near the bottom, consisting of a sheet of small area compared with the area of the card and aliixed at an edge thereofl to the card, said sheet having an outward bend and being resilient.

'In testimony whereof I have signed my,

name to this speciticationwin the presence of two .subscribing witnesses.

` DAVID FREDERICK CARVER.

lVitnesses:

Ronnirr It. Rainier, HERMAN E. SUPIIAN.

Fit) 

